First off, teaching at Gauge was so much fun! My students were lovely, and some friends dropped in to say "hello," which was so wonderful. It was also neat to see what new yarns they had picked up. ;op I picked up a few things while here.

Gauge has a lovely selection of not only workhorse yarns (Berroco, Malabrigo, etc), but also some unique brands. They are the exclusive store for an Austin local indie dyer called Little Green Finch who only does one of a kind skeins, and they're all so lovely! In addition, I'd been hearing more and more about this company called Ito, and it appears that Gauge decided to pick them up! It was my first time checking it out in person, and that was a lot of fun. :o) My haul from Gauge (left to right): gradient dye cake done in various shades of pink on a sparkly base by Little Green Finch, a BFL/silk braid by NerdGirl in neon pink and green (couldn't resist!), and a sparkly white and gold yarn by Ito (planning on using it to ply with some handspun).

While here, I did manage to stop into all three of the main LYS around here. Gauge was my main LYS while I lived here, as it was the closest one to me. However, since I've moved, another store called Me & Ewe popped up about two blocks from where I used to live! Gah! I had to stop in to see what I was missing.

Me & Ewe is adorable. So far, they seem to stock a lot of unique items. She stocks a local indie dyer called Bronotta, local organic cottons, and some other fun finds. However, she also stocks a decent amount of fabrics! I ended up coming home with a little bit of one because it was kinda perfect. :op I'd definitely say it was well worth the time to go in, and the owner is so friendly!

Last on the list is Hill Country Weavers. Hill Country is a very hot spot for knitters out here. It has a lot of really nice yarns and is set up inside of a house. Each room has different things, and it's so much fun to explore. I can't believe that I got out of there with just one thing, but I have to say, only one thing truly caught my eye. I think you will be able to tell why:

Neon pastel rainbow! 8 oz of wool/silk! The only unfortunate thing is that I don't know what kind of wool, as it just says "wool" on the label. But, honestly, I couldn't pass up that colorway. Such amazingness cannot be turned down.

I also managed to get in a lot of good food (that I consistently forgot to take pictures of, for the most part... oops), and saw a bunch of my old friends. The only sad thing is that I was hoping for some warm weather, and it looks like a cold front arrived right when I got in, and is heading out when I leave. In the meantime, it got a bit warmer in Seattle, and is cooling back off when I get back in. Of course. ;o) Ah well. Can't win them all.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed by this month! In fact, I just realized that I need to prep for the classes that I will be teaching at Gauge Knits! Gauge is one of my favorite LYS in Austin, Tx. I used to frequent them quite often. ;o) Last year, in April, I did a class with them for Aviary, and it was a blast! I am *so excited* to be getting to teach again this year; this year, it's not just one class, but two!

I will be there Feb 6 and 7 (so close!!), and will be doing a project classes for Marika and Viola on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. If you are local to Austin, I'd love to see you there! Please learn more here.

For the Marika Class, I will be talking a bit about my inspiration for the shawl, as well as help you get started on your shawl. This lace panel is very simple, and this could easily be a first time lace project! I will also teach you how to get a nice and clean edging on garter stitch. :o) This shawl, as mentioned before, is the perfect comfort knitting. Ideal for this time of year, and I hope everyone enjoys making it along with me.

For the Viola Class, there are a number of skills I can help you obtain. While, I would encourage you to be comfortable with doing cables already, I can definitely help you learn how to do cables for the first time! In addition, this is a charted pattern, and so if learning how to read charts is something you'd like to learn, that could be a fun, new technique, as well! Lastly, I will be teaching how to make this hat by doing a cabled swatch done in the round. This was definitely something that took me awhile to learn (heck, learning that swatching was important to do was a skill that took me a number of years), and so I can't wait to help everyone learn this skill. This class is really filled with all the arsenals that you will need to take on this hat! :o)

I'm excited to see familiar faces and new ones, too! As always, I'm also super psyched about getting great food, and getting together with friends from my last home. I'm betting for a good number of food related instagram posts in the not too far future. ;op